True Soulmate
by Maddiepink5
Summary: Ash and Dawn's relationship has shattered. The two head their separate ways and find someone more than willing to help pick up the pieces. AshxOC, DawnxPaul. Three-parter.
1. Chapter 1

"Dawn, I have something I need to talk to you about." Ash's voice interrupted Dawn's thoughts as she scribbled in her journal.

"What?" Dawn replied irritably. At the age of 15, they had been dating for two years now, but Dawn was getting more and more fed up with him.

Visibly flinching at Dawn's reply, Ash started, "Well, uh, it's about our relationship."

Interested, Dawn turned around to face the teenage boy. His dark hair was as messy as ever, covered by a baseball cap. He wore a casual t-shirt and jeans, not caring at all about his appearence, unlike Dawn who carefully picked out her outfits each morning.

"I think, uh, it's not working out for us..." Ash looked away, not daring to meet Dawn's eyes.

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Are you...saying we should break up?" she asked nervously, hoping it was otherwise. She was let down, though.

"Yes...I'm sorry, Dawn," Ash told the blunette. Dawn's eyes started to fill with tears. She had never even thought about the possibility that she and Ash might one day break up. The teen had known that if they broke up, they could not have the friendship they once had.

"I'm sorry, Dawn!" Ash cried. "I didn't mean for it to happen this way!" 

"Whatever, Ash! Forget you!" Dawn responded. She quickly picked up her journal and bag with all her belongings, and started to run.

"Wait, Dawn, please!" Ash called behind her, but Dawn wasn't listening. The young teen kept running, though she couldn't flee from the hurt in her heart.

Ash sighed and sat down on the rock Dawn was sitting on moments ago. While he felt guilty for hurting Dawn's feelings, his chest felt lighter, more free. There had been no more compassion or love in their relationship anymore, and even if Dawn didn't know that right now, she would soon realize that it was for the best. That was Ash hoped, anyway. He stared at the direction she had run off in, the hilly plain blocking her from view anymore. In the distance, though, was a forest- if she kept going that way, she could get lost. Would she be okay? Ash wondered. Then he smiled in spite of himself. Of course she would be. She was Dawn. Nothing would stop her, not a forest, and hopefully not a silly relationship ended.


	2. Chapter 2

After spending a night in the middle of the open plain, Ash packed up his things. Heavy sleeper that he was, he hadn't even known that there was a huge storm throughout the night- he slept right through it. Heading towards the next town, he hoped that he would run into Dawn and recreate their former friendship. Traveling alone wasn't fun in the slightest.

The path Ash followed led to a forest different from the one Dawn had entered, with a wide path going straight through it. Getting lost was pretty much an impossiblity. As Ash walked though, he started to hear something odd-crying? At first he thought it was his imagination, but the crying progressively got louder. When he was sure someone was crying somewhere, he started to run, looking for the source. Suddenly he came across a scary sight on the path- an entire tree had toppled over, and it was crushing a girl's leg! Ash darted over to the girl.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a panic. The girl glared at him.

"Do I LOOK okay to you?" Her voice was choked up, her face was stained with tears. She had bright pink hair tied up in a ponytail, a maroon t-shirt with puffy sleeves and a Poke-ball emblem, and tight denim shorts. The teen looked about Ash's age.

"It's alright, it's alright, we'll get you out of here," Ash told the girl as she began to cry again. He tried to lift the tree, but that had no effect whatsoever. Strong as he may be, it was just too heavy. Ash grimaced and told the girl, "I'm going to get help. Pikachu, you stay here, alright?"

The yellow mouse on Ash's shoulder, who had been abnormally quiet, responded with an urgent, "Pika!" Then he hopped down and sat near the girl's face, using his tiny hands to try and wipe away her tears. It was an adorable scene, but Ash did not stay to watch.

Ash walked alongside the teen as she used her crutches while they exited the hopsital. She had been transported here after the tree was lifted by policemen, and her leg was completely shattered. It would never heal, but Skye had been horrified by how an amputated leg would look, but even more revolted about sitting in a wheelchair all her life. The "last resort" option had been crutches, and so crutches it was.

"Well, I'm hungry, let's get some lunch!" Ash announced, acting like his old (hungry) self. Unlike the nasty look Dawn would typically give him for acting like that, Skye giggled and nodded in agreement. Going into the Italian resturant Mario's, the two sat down together.

"You like to eat too, huh?" Ash asked his new companion.

"You bet!" Skye responded with a grin. "Nothing can beat home-cooked meals, though."

"I feel the same way! My mom's the best cook!"

"No, mine is!"

"No, mine!"

The duo found this exchange incredibly funny, laughing and talking until their food came. Ash was surprised that the girl ate even faster than he did, but unlike himself, he didn't protest when she reached over the table and stole a couple of his fries. He wondered how she was so skinny, but the same thing could be said for him. Through their conversation, he had found that they were very similar, including their love for food and Pokemon. Skye had originally intended to be a Ranger. helping people and Pokemon, but her parents over-obsessed about their only child so she ran away and became a Trainer. She still planned on becoming one someday, though.

"Now becoming a Ranger is completely out of the question, huh?" Ash asked in sympathy for Skye. The girl grimaced and nodded.

"Yeah, not to mention that I had just gotten off the plane when my boyfriend called and broke up with me."

"Wow, that's weird, I just broke up with my girlfriend."

"Maybe it's fate, then." Skye winked and smiled mysteriously.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash asked.

"That's the difference between you and me. You're dense and I'm not," Skye laughed.

Ash wasn't offended, though. Her laugh was enchanting, to him. It was at that point that he openly admitted to himself that he had a huge crush on a girl he just met. What did he like in her? What was different about Dawn? He supposed that he was a bit impatient, and Dawn was a bit too girly for his liking. While Skye talked a lot, and liked shopping as he had learned, she was different in that she didn't care what other people thought about her. She also didn't gossip, and openly admitted any faults in herself. She worked hard on them, too. She just had...some ENCHANTMENT around her.

"Hey...can we go to the park? I saw one around here, I think," Skye told Ash suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Uh, sure, I guess," Ash replied, shrugging. He walked slowly along Skye, allowing for her to get along on her crutches. The crutches didn't make him think any less of her though. In fact, he was impressed about how she insisted on crutches versus a wheelchair.

"Right over there," Skye said, pointing to a bench that overlooked a small lake. She seemed to have something in mind, though Ash couldn't figure out what it was.

The black-haired teen sat at the end of the bench, next to the pink-haired lake in front of them was beautiful, the clear water sparkling in the sunlight. It was the perfect scene.

"I've never been afraid to speak my mind before," Skye started from beside him, getting his attention. "But now...I'm kinda embarrased."

"Just say it. You can tell me," Ash said kindly.

"O-okay," Skye said, blushing. "I, uh, know we've only known each other for a little while, but uh, I think we just, you know, clicked. I think I, uh...kind of like you." Skye looked away, hiding her red face from Ash.

"Oh. Uh, wow..." Ash replied, at a loss for words. Was this really true? "I think I...like you too."

Skye slowly looked back at Ash, blush growing, along with a sincere grin. Ash grinned too.

"So, are we going to go out, or something?"

"Yeah, but aren't you supposed to kiss first?"

"Just lean in, already!"

And so they did. The two who were so similar but so different- that's what they were. They were also a match made in heaven.


	3. Chapter 3

Dawn looked around the dark forest, but of course, she still couldn't see a thing. The blunette cursed herself for her stupidity. In a rage of emotion and teenage hormones, she had gone ballistic on Ash for breaking up with her and darted into a thick forest that lead to nowhere. It was the middle of the night now, and Dawn had no hopes of getting out at this point. She had already admitted to herself that Ash hadn't chased after her. Why, oh why did she always have to act so confident? On the outside, yes, she was spunky and proud, but in reality the very thought of, say, traveling alone made her nervous and afraid. Being alone in a forest in the middle of the night was worse than anything she could think of at the time. She was starting to lose hope, but she kept walking, just walking.

That is, she tried to continue walking. She accidentally tripped on a rock, falling to the ground with a huge thud. The noise caused something to stir in the trees above her head, and Dawn looked up in fear just in time to see a huge Staraptor flying right towards her, its rest disturbed. It was definitely angry. Before Dawn could even scream, much less take out a Pokeball for defense, she was knocked straight on the head, by none other than a Brave Bird attack. Dawn was knocked off her feet and landed on the ground, but her vision was darkening fast. The last thing she remembered was feeling blood on her head and the sound of footsteps.

Eventually, Dawn regained consciousness and found she was in a room in a Pokemon Center. As her vision cleared, she was stunned momentarily by the sight at the foot of her bed- was that Paul? Paul, the cold-blooded jerk who couldn't be bothered to remember her name? What was he doing here?

As Dawn stared at the purple-haired boy, Paul turned to someone out of her field of vision, saying, "She's awake."

Nurse Joy then appeared in her vision, replacing Paul. "Hello, Dawn. Are you feeling better?" Nurse Joy asked kindly.

"Ugh, I think," Dawn replied, surprising herself with how groggy she sounded. She sat up, but as soon as she did, her head throbbed menacingly and the world around her spun. Nurse Joy, realizing Dawn's pain, quickly but gently pushed Dawn back down.

"She needs to rest for a couple of days. Do you think you could watch her?" Dawn heard Nurse Joy say as she closed her eyes again.

"Of course." Dawn recognized Paul's voice again, and it was serious, no joking. He was going to stay with her for a couple of days? _Willingly? _That wasn't the Paul she knew. Did he actually have a compassionate side? Dawn could not answer her own question, though, as she quickly fell fast asleep.

For the next two days, the young blunette slept on and off. When she ate, she found herself weak and barely able to even lift the spoon. Over that time, she got used to Paul helping her to eat. She didn't even bother to question him anymore. She never knew him to inconvenience himself for the sake of others, but if it meant she didn't have to take care of herself, she didn't care at that moment. There were no words exchanged between the two.

Finally, Dawn had enough energy to get up and move around a bit. Paul just watched her, while she got used to being back on her feet again. Yet again, nobody spoke.

Dawn knew that she would be leaving soon, probably the next day. But somewhere deep inside her, she didn't want Paul to leave. There were things that needed to be said. Why was Paul taking care of her? Why was he caring about anybody but himself? And something she needed to ask herself- why did she care if Paul left when she did?

Surprisingly, Paul spoke first. "Well, Troublesome. Looks like your feeling better."

Dawn surprised herself by not getting irritated when he called her Troublesome. In fact, she kind of...liked it. "Yes, I am. Thank you, Paul."

"I guess that means I can get going now." Paul turned towards the door. It was now or never.

"Wait, Paul."

"What, Dawn?"

"I need to know why-wait. Did you just call me Dawn?"

Paul's face didn't go into a smirk as Dawn expected. Instead, he actually smiled. "Yeah. You think I don't know your name, you troublesome girl?" Dawn found herself giggling like a lovesick schoolgirl. Wait, lovesick? Could her feeling for Paul...possibly be returning? Dawn surprised herself yet again by liking the idea.

"Um, anyway. I want to know...why you were taking care of me," Dawn said nervously.

"Well, that's easy. You're a nice girl who would've died if I didn't save you. I can be humane, you know." Paul folded his arms and grinned at the shocked blunette.

"You saved me _and_ stayed with me? That's so nice!" Dawn replied, practically on cloud nine at this point.

"It's not that big a deal. Now come on, let's go," Paul said, opening the door for her.

Now Dawn was more confused than ever. "Why are we going together? Aren't you going to go back to training too much and never appearing to anyone?" she accused.

"I have to make sure a certain troublesome girl stays out of trouble," Paul replied casually, smile never leaving his face. Dawn giggled.

"Okay..." she drawled. "But I need to give you something to thank you for helping me." Paul raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, what?"

"This." Slowly, Dawn walked up to Paul and kissed him gently on the lips. It was a glorious moment for the both of them- both knowing that they loved each other. One, two, three seconds. They each pulled away at the exact same moment. Paul blinked in shock, while Dawn smiled at him. "Come on, traveling partner, let's get going," she said, grabbing his hand. "Or better yet...maybe boyfriend?" Dawn giggled and dragged Paul down the Pokemon Center hallway, both smiling all the way.


End file.
